I am not a Breaking Bad fan. I know, I know – I am in the minority on this one. The Grim Cheaper and I started to watch the series, which ran on AMC from 2008 through 2013, and absolutely LOVED the first two episodes. They were hilarious. Then the show seemed to take a somber turn, focusing more on Walter White’s (Bryan Cranston) illness than the dark comedy that was at the center of the inaugural episodes. So we stopped watching, against the advice of so many of our friends. But I was thrilled to recently receive an email from my friend Becky who grew up in New Mexico, where Breaking Bad was lensed, asking if I wanted her to write up a post on the locations featured in the series. My answer was a resounding yes! Thank you so much, Becky! So without further ado . . .
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Hi there! I’m so excited to write this blog post for Lindsay – as a longtime reader of her blog, I never thought I would be lucky enough to write a post for it! Although I live in California now, I am originally from New Mexico and went to college in Albuquerque.
When New Mexico started advertising film tax credits as a way to boost the economy, I was both amused and excited… hoping that it might mean I would get to see my beloved home state more often on TV and in movies. Sadly, most movies and shows filmed there use New Mexico as a backdrop for other cities and states – rarely featuring New Mexico as a character itself. When Breaking Bad aired, I was thrilled! Finally, a show based in Albuquerque! And it was fantastic television to boot!
During one of my visits home, I convinced my mom and sister to join me for a hunt of some of our favorite Breaking Bad filming locations. The good thing about living in a city for five years for undergrad and grad school is that you really get to know it – I knew almost every location without having to look it up (we filled in the blanks with the help of Foursquare)! I hope the rest of my fellow Breaking Bad fans enjoy this – happy stalking!
While Albuquerque as a whole is a major character, one cannot dismiss the importance that the White residence played in Breaking Bad. This house, given the fictional address of 308 Negra Arroyo Lane, is a real home used in every single season of filming. So many pivotal scenes took place at this home – it’s hard to pick a favorite. The screenshots above show the house through the years, including seasons 1, 3, and 5 respectively. Surprisingly, only the front and backyard ever make an appearance on the show. Despite looking incredibly realistic, the interior shots were not filmed on location – they were shot offsite on a soundstage. The owners have taken great pains to make sure people are aware of this – they’ve had quite a few classless looky-loos who have disrespected the property trying to get a sneak peek.
The White Residence
3828 Piermont Drive NE, Albuquerque, NM
When looking for the White home, I knew it was located in the Northeast Heights. Still, I was surprised that it was in a neighborhood that I know quite well. It’s actually only a few short blocks away from my cousin, and less than 5 minutes slightly southwest of Saul Goodman’s office. Thousands of fans have taken the trek to visit the iconic property, much to the annoyance of the owners and the neighbors. If you do decide to visit, be respectful of the private residence itself and the surrounding neighborhood. Don’t block traffic or driveways, and definitely don’t trespass, loiter, or vandalize the property (don’t throw pizza on the roof! Seriously – this happens A LOT apparently).
Saul Goodman’s Office
9800 Montgomery Boulevard NE, Albuquerque, NM
Since it was only a few minutes away, we stopped at Saul Goodman’s office next. Saul’s character was a riot, and appears to be based on a lawyer I remembered from my college days. (Yeah… not going to name him. But if you’re from Albuquerque, you probably know who I’m talking about!) Hilariously enough, I did not recognize this location when I watched the show despite it being right next door to one of my favorite bars in college. Haha! Note that this doesn’t appear to be the same location as they are using for the Better Call Saul prequel – fans of that show should visit 160 Juan Tabo Boulevard NE instead.
A1A Carwash
9516 Snow Heights Circle, Albuquerque, NM
Our next stop was just a little further south from Goodman’s… Everyone’s favorite front for Heisenberg’s empire: the A1A Carwash (Have an A-1 Day!) Standing in for the A1A Carwash, the Octopus Carwash chain was an Albuquerque staple for over 45 years. Sadly, the family owning the chain sold to Mister Car Wash shortly after our visit. Mister Car Wash did a good job of maintaining the overall aesthetic, but they recently sold to a private equity firm leaving the future of this location rather uncertain. So… stalk it while you can!
One of the most difficult characters for me to watch on the show had to be Wendy. Her depiction of the drug addicts and prostitutes I witness on Central Avenue (not far from my University) made my stomach turn – it hit too close to home. (Note: Julia Minesci deserved an award for playing Wendy. I’m always impressed when character actors can hold their own against heavy weights like Aaron Paul and Dean Norris.) Probably the best scene that depicted the sadness of Wendy’s plight had to be a montage you can watch here.
Wendy appeared to live at the Crossroads Motel during her three-season appearance on the show (screenshot above from the show). The motel is often referred to as the Crystal Palace throughout its run on Breaking Bad, referring to its popularity with junkies in the Albuquerque area. While some fan sites thought this was a shuttered motel used only for the filming, I knew it used to operate when I was in school. I was curious to see if it was still operating, so it became our next stop on the tour.
Crossroads Motel
1001 Central Avenue NE, Albuquerque, NM
The Crossroads Motel is still operating, albeit a bit empty the day we stopped by. And contrary to college rumors and its appearance on the show, I’ve read that the motel is a fine budget motel, centrally located and less than $50/night (but check with them directly). They get a fair number of tourists stopping by to take photos – while we didn’t have any issues, I’d still recommend stopping by the office to say hello. I’ve read online that some of the employees are a little wary of unknown people stopping by to take photos, but are pretty accommodating if you go into the office and ask first.
Houses were always a secondary character on Breaking Bad, which was something I really loved about the show. When Jesse Pinkman started apartment hunting in the second season of the show, I recognized the neighborhood immediately. HOME! Or at least my version of it. I knew this had to be in the University area – so many of my friends lived in duplexes similar to the one on the show during school, there was simply no way it could be located elsewhere! The screenshots from the series above show it from different angles – the style so familiar and easily placed in my mind.
Jane’s Apartment
325 Terrace Street SE, Albuquerque, NM
It came as no surprise at all when I looked up the Jane/Jesse duplex to find it just south of campus on Terrace Street. The building was built in the early 1900s, and is part of a group of buildings rented out by UNMRentals.com. The buildings have studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments, along with at least one three-bedroom, standalone house. Surprisingly, the Jane/Jesse building is on the corner of a fairly busy street… it would have been interesting to have seen them film here. From what I can tell, the actual interiors of these apartments were used on the show. I’m not sure what the going rent is for these buildings in particular, but similar one-bedroom apartments in this neighborhood range around $550 – 700/month. Not bad, especially when compared to similar homes in California! Be mindful that these are private residences on a fairly busy street, and the surrounding streets are one-way only – use caution and visit at your own risk.
Civic Plaza
1 Civic Plaza NW, Albuquerque, NM
Continuing west on Central Avenue, our next stop was the location of Walt & Jesse’s infamous showdown in episode 512, “Rabid Dog.” I instantly recognized this location the moment it aired – Civic Plaza is a common gathering place in downtown Albuquerque, hosting festivals, concerts, and more. That said, I did chuckle a bit when the episode aired – I don’t think I’ve ever seen vendors hanging out on the Plaza when an event wasn’t also going on. Still, filming at this location had to be a beast – it’s centrally located in downtown Albuquerque, with most of the city’s major government buildings and hotels located within a two-block radius. I wasn’t wrong – you can see a bit of what went into filming this via the AMC behind-the-scenes clip located here.
Without the trademark blue benches and nonexistent phone booths actually located in the plaza, my sister and I worried a bit that we wouldn’t be able to pinpoint the exact locations where filming took place. We were wrong! The surrounding buildings gave us great insight as to where to capture our reenactments, as demonstrated with both the Albuquerque Police Department behind Walt and the DoubleTree hotel behind Jesse in the scenes above (a big THANK YOU to my sister for recreating the poses for my own enjoyment… and now yours, too!).
The next location on our tour is one of my favorite hot dog stands in the world – the Dog House! Seriously – I probably ate a thousand of their chili dogs while I was in college, and I’m neither a chili or a hot dog fan. This is seriously spicy (and delicious) stuff! Definitely Yelp worthy – you can read the reviews here and decide for yourself! Anyway, I was SUPER stoked to see it featured early on in the series. It was the first location I saw and immediately exclaimed, “I’ve been there!” It actually appeared several times throughout the series – appearing in Seasons 1, 2, and 5.
The Dog House
1216 Central Avenue, Albuquerque, NM
Somewhat unsurprisingly, my family has not enjoyed the yummy-deliciousness that is the Dog House in Old Town Albuquerque. When I told my sister we’d be going there, she actually didn’t remember the iconic location upon first mention. Of course, she had also only seen the location on the show as it was filmed at night with all of its neon glory. Once we got there, however, she instantly recognized it as a favorite of Jesse’s on the show. You, too, can enjoy Jesse’s favorite hot dog joint next time you’re in Albuquerque – get the chili dog and a chocolate shake… you can thank me later ; )
The last location for our do-it-yourself Breaking Bad tour was the Pinkman residence, at first owned by Jesse’s parents and later owned by Jesse himself. This beautiful home was given the fictional address of 9809 Margo Street, but a quick Google search will show you that Margo Street doesn’t exist – the closest to it would be Margo Road in the somewhat rural South Valley. In reality, the Pinkman residence is located in the beautiful Huning Castle neighborhood, close to Old Town and the Albuquerque Country Club near the heart of the city (and not far from the Dog House mentioned above).
The Pinkman Residence
322 16th Street SW, Albuquerque, NM
This is one of my favorite locations in Albuquerque for a variety of reasons. I like the older, established neighborhood because it’s one of the few in Albuquerque to still have grass lawns and trees. It’s near both Old Town and Downtown, which in turn are close to many of my favorite restaurants, stores, and museums. And I love the style of the homes around here – it’s not a cookie cutter ‘hood at all! As with the duplex, the Pinkman residence is a real private residence. The actual interiors were used in Season 1, but the show was forced to rebuild the interiors on a soundstage after the home was sold in Season 2. Please be courteous when visiting – this is a quiet neighborhood.
While you are in the area, feel free to visit some of my favorite spots! The Albuquerque Zoo, Aquarium, and Biopark are nearby, as is wonderful Old Town. Heck, while you’re in Albuquerque… stay for a while! There’s a lot to love about my favorite city, and more to do there than you would think. Casinos, hiking, dining, museums – it’s a cultural mecca that I wish more people would take advantage of.
With Better Call Saul now filming in Albuquerque, along with several other films/movies, I think it’s high time I go back for another stalking adventure, don’t you? If I do, I’ll make sure to update my personal blog and probably Lindsay’s too! You can follow my blog (Temporary Rest Stop) online for more of my traveling adventures, and you can follow me on Instagram, too! Hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks Lindsay!
Editor’s Note – Thank you so much, Becky! 
I thoroughly enjoyed the post and am wanting to re-visit New Mexico now more than ever! Such a beautiful place.